


Black Card Is My Business Card

by orange_crushx



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Angst with a Happy Ending, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Beverly Marsh is a Good Friend, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak Are Best Friends, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Dark Academia but not really, Eddie is a track star, F/M, Gay Disaster Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Stanley Uris, M/M, Minor Bill Denbrough/Eddie Kaspbrak, Oblivious Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is Bad at Feelings, Richie is smart, Sonia Kaspbrak Being Terrible, Stanley Uris Lives, rich au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:16:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28991313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orange_crushx/pseuds/orange_crushx
Summary: Richie Tozier has been granted a full academic scholarship to Braxton Academy, the most prestigious school located on the Upper East Side of New York City. Only A-Listers and Socialites attend this academy, so will Richie find a place to fit in even if he is not one of them? Or maybe someone doesn't mind.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon/Stanley Uris, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Black Card Is My Business Card

There are many things that Richie Tozier was and even though his name would say otherwise he was not in fact “rich” in any way, shape, or form. Let’s just say he is on the lowest end of the middle class with no questions asked. This isn’t his parent’s fault either it is the economy and whatever the fuck it does to keep making the rich, richer and the poor— well, you know. 

Even with all that being said, Richie doesn’t mind not having a ton of money. He’s had a job ever since he was 11 to help his parents out with rent and to buy things that he wanted whether that was Marvel comics (Specifically X-Men and the occasional Daredevil) or tape for his glasses. “To see is a luxury” is what Wentworth has drilled into his head ever since he broke his first pair because he was looking for them and stepped on them in the process. He has now learned his lesson to feel the ground carefully before plopping his feet down to avoid another incident like that.

“RICHARD! YA BETTER NOT STILL BE SLEEPING OR SO HELP ME I’LL POUR AN ICE BUCKET OVER YA!!, Richie’s mother Maggie shrieked from downstairs.

Richie groaned and grabbed the nearest pillow to his right and placed it on top of his face yelling into it. He squinted at his night stand and felt around for his glasses and looked at his digital alarm clock that read 7:30 A.M.

“Jesus fucking christ..” Richie mumbled under his breath, sitting up, and looked around his room. His walls were covered with band posters like Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Motley Crüe. While his floor had his dirty laundry pile off to one corner and a clean pile in another. Although, he often forgot which one was the clean pile so he had to do a sniff test to make sure.

Richie yawned and did “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe” in between the two clothing piles and hoped for the best that he picked the clean pile, throwing on an old Star Wars shirt that is two sizes too small due to his constant growth spurts. He’s 16 and already 6’1 but not like the hot kind of 6’1 more like you’re all torso and freakishly long 6’1.

“MA! It’s 7 in the morning why do I have to be up? The school doesn’t start for another week or did you forget?”, Richie skipped two stairs at a time, meeting his mom in the kitchen. 

Maggie has black curly hair like Richie but hers was graying a bit on the roots and she wore gold-rimmed glasses while Richie’s were a knockoff of the black Ray-Bans’ Wayfarer Glasses but they looked pretty damn similar. She was also on the shorter side and had a more stern look to her face while Richie constantly looked goofy.

“No I didn’t forget smartass, I’m 42, not 80 Richard. I just had some news to tell you.”, She gestured for Richie to sit at the island.

Richie hesitated but didn’t want to deal with a lecture this early in the morning so he sat down anyway. 

"And it couldn’t have waited for a reasonable hour— OW Ma I’m joking jeez”, Maggie threw a wooden spoon and hit Richie on his shoulder.

“What is it?”, Richie swiveled his barstool side to side, scowling and still rubbing at his shoulder.

“I just got a call from the Braxton Academy.”

Richie picked up an apple from the fruit basket in front of him and took a bite. Speaking with his mouth still full, “What? They got the wrong number or something? What do those pricks want?”

“You.”, Maggie stated blankly as she flipped pancakes on the stove. 

Richie spits out his apple in shock. “WHAT?”

Maggie’s face reddened looking from the bewildered Richie and the chewed up pieces of apple on the counter, “You’re disgusting you know that Richard? Go get a towel I ain't your fucking maid.”

Richie blinked and immediately went to wipe the table down.

“Mom, what do you mean they want me? I haven’t even done anything.”

“Oh please you have a 4.0 GPA and you score perfect scores on all your exams along with your SAT scores. You’ve done everything to make them want you. They said you’re a genius.”

Richie scoffed, “Yeah right. A genius my ass. I just go to school with a bunch of dumbasses mom that’s what happens when you place me in a low-income school. Nobody gives a rat’s ass about us.” Richie rolled his eyes at the thought and put on an over-exaggerated British accent, “Even if I wanted to tickle their fancy, the prissy Braxton Academy and their tuition are worth more than our apartment and my life combined.”

Maggie turned away and grabbed a sheet of paper with a list on it, placing it in front of him. 

“It’s a full academic scholarship. They’d be covering all of your costs, your uniform, your books, everything.”, Maggie looked at him with a gleam in her striking blue eyes that Richie inherited. She really wanted him to go but who else would take care of her when she got bad. It’s not like Richie’s dad was ever around for the episodes.

Richie furrowed his brows, shaking his head at the piece of paper, “What if I don’t wanna go?”

  
“Tough luck kid. You’re already enrolled.” Maggie placed a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of him.

Richie rolled his eyes and began picking at his food with his fork, lost in his thoughts. It’s not like he had any friends in his current school anyway so going to another school wouldn’t be so bad even if it is with daddy’s money parasites. Maggie looked over at him and walked around the island to give him a hug practically suffocating him. 

“Please, Richie. It’ll be good for you and who knows maybe you’ll like it.”, Maggie squeezed tighter until Richie let out a muffled ‘AGH Alright’.

Richie grinned at his mom, laughing at his mom who smiled brightly at him and wiped her hands over her apron, “Take the subway to the Upper East Side and there should be a store over there that sells the red ties they specifically want. OH and get yourself some new white button-downs that don’t have any spaghetti stains on them for goodness sakes and the Dean told me that your blazers and pants are being shipped here in the next couple of days and to buy the rest under the school’s tab. You have to give them your student id so I wrote it all down for you.”

“Wait wha- now?”

“No yesterday. Yes, now Richard why else would I be telling you all of this? Shower and go.”, Maggie snapped, pulling the plate from him as he was still eating a piece of bacon. Richie lazily walked up the stairs already dreading his decision to please his mom. 

…

Richie stepped into the department store which already looked way out of his league. The store was separated by designer from Tom Ford to Louis Vuitton. It was ridiculous. Richie adjusted his dark grey beanie that barely covered his raven curls on his head and walked in with as much fake confidence he can exude. Not a couple of minutes later before he coughed at the stench of what he would assume a billionaire’s shower gel would smell like. 

He found a few white button-downs that pissed him off because who the fuck buys $100 button-downs. Braxton Academy kids that’s who. Richie scoffed at himself for even agreeing to this in the first place. He raised the volume on his phone and continued blasting Iron Maiden through his wired headphones while searching for the red ties he needs to go with his uniform for school.

Richie finally found them not a couple of moments later and tied the wired headphones around his phone before placing it into his back jean pocket. He scoured through looking for the exact red tie and picked up 2 because that’s what the paper said. He immediately looked at the tag and it was $75… each. Richie whistled at himself and found a mirror to stand in front of to practice tying the tie over himself. He’s never done it before and his dad is never home to teach him so he might as well try it out here especially since there are mannequins with ties on that he can try and copy from. 

He was a disaster. After multiple tries, he still hasn’t gotten it and is pretty sure he’s wrinkling the tie each time he scrunches it up to look like the mannequins'.

Richie looks at himself in the full-length mirror as he tries tying it again and mimics his mom in a high-pitched voice, “Oh Richie please do this for me, you’ll like it I swear”.

He mumbles to himself, “Yeah fucking right. I don’t want to go to this stupid school and wear stupidly expensive clothes and tie stupid fucking ties that are obviously made to oppress the lower class because who knows how to tie one anyways. 74 dollars? You gotta be kidding me it should come with a manual.”

“They really should.”, A voice says from behind him. Richie turns his head quickly and sees a shorter boy around 5’7 with caramel brown hair with curls that were more tamed than Richie’s could ever possibly dream of. Probably pomade? Richie’s never owned one. He had tanned skin and his eyes were almond-shaped with sparks of hazel and green in them that were lifted with his long curled eyelashes that looked as if he freshly curled them. He was wearing a navy blue sweater over a white collar with his sleeves scrunched up, exposing the veins bulging on his forearms from having them crossed and— oh wow he’s toned. Richie’s eyes hover down to the tanned legs that are somewhat covered by the khaki shorts. Richie shook his head trying to divert the thoughts he was having of this angelic man in front of him.

“Um w-what?”, Richie stuttered, unaware of where his sudden nervousness was coming from. 

The boy was leaning against a metal rack of clothes and gave Richie a once over with a smirk on his face that made his ears heat up. 

“You said that ties deserve a manual and I agreed with you.”, The boy said slowly while giving him a sly look. Richie felt like the boy was analyzing him, maybe because he looked so out of place here. Richie looked down at his clothes. He is wearing dark ripped jeans with beaten-up white converse and a denim jacket with a grey hood attached over his Pink Floyd shirt. Yeah, he doesn’t belong here and the dude sniffed him out assuming that he is the New York equivalent to trailer trash. What a fucking douche. 

“Do you make it a habit to eavesdrop short-stack?”, Richie snapped.

The boy tilted his head in amusement and pushed himself off the rack and walked towards Richie.

“Ha Ha, how original. Do you make it a habit to talk to yourself in public places?”, the boy challenged.

  
Richie looked down at the boy who was now in front of him. “So what if I do? It’s none of your damn business anyway. Leave me alone, I’m trying to do something go be productive and bully some other sucker.” Richie made a shooing motion with his hands towards the boy.

“Bully?”

“Yeah.”, Richie gestured at the boy’s attire, “You obviously fit right in here with these douchebags and chose to bother me because your life is boring or whatever. Trust me I’ve dealt with guys like you all of my life the only difference is your bank accounts.”

The boy’s eyes widened as if it was possible for them to get any bigger. 

“That’s not why I came here whatsoever.”, The boy stepped closer into his space.

Richie’s heart was beating faster, “Um… then why did you come here?”

The boy began untying the mess of a knot that Richie made on the tie and looked up at him briefly with a smile on his face, “Well, I’m the douchebag that wants to help you tie your tie properly because my life is incredibly boring. You know? Woe is me bullshit.” 

Richie’s toothy grin widened. “Well well… who knew that one of the elite would do me such a favor.”

The boy giggled and it was music to Richie’s ears it was shy and soft and he wanted to hear it again. ASAP. 

“You don’t know a thing about me.”, The boy looked up at Richie with an innocent look which turned into a scowl fairly quickly, “Are you paying attention to what I’m doing? I don’t have all day.”

Richie held in his laugh at the quick personality change and tightened his lip while nodding quickly. 

The boy rolled his eyes and pulled on both ends of the tie around Richie’s neck tightly, “There are 177,147 ways to tie a necktie. Which would you like to learn?”

Richie scrunched his nose, “Um a common one? I thought there was only one way to tie one.”

“You gotta be shitting me.”

“Nope, I’m constipated most of the time.”, Richie remarked.

The boy’s entire face scrunched up in disgust, “That was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard.” 

Richie shoved at the boy’s shoulder playfully “Oh please, you’ve heard worse.”

The boy let out a sigh and shook his head, biting his lip to hide his smile creeping up. 

“I picture you as a Four in Hand.”

“Ooo kinky, I like the way you think Mr. Posh but you’re giving me too much credit. My hands aren’t THAT big—“

“Ew ew ew. Do you ever learn when to shut the fuck up? Jesus Christ, I’m talking about the knot I’m about to teach you, you perv.”, the boy stammered out quickly, yanking on the tie’s ends again, this time Richie let out a surprised yelp.

“This is the least formal one. The wide end is going to be on your right and the narrow end is on your left—“, the boy trailed off into explaining how to tie the knot and Richie listened carefully until the very end when the boy finished and stepped away to admire his work beside Richie.

“Whoa….” Richie said.

“Yeah, I know. Now you do it and show me.”, the boy replied and sat on a nearby bench and crossed his ankles, holding himself upright with his hands behind him. 

Richie tried to remember everything that the caramel-haired boy said/ did and slowly but surely he did it. 

“AYYY LOOK AT ME!”, Richie yelled causing a scene in the middle of the store causing older businessman types to give him a dirty look. This made the boy cover his mouth to stop the laughs from escaping and Richie pulled him up to run to the other side of the store in case anybody reported him for being a nuisance.

“Why are you so fucking loud, we could have gotten kicked out!”, the boy slapped Richie’s shoulder and kept laughing. 

Richie saluted, “Trashmouth Tozier at your service. But you can call me Richie.” 

The boy giggled and his tanned skin was reddened by how much he had been laughing this entire time. Richie just noticed that no one has ever laughed with him this hard ever and usually his older sister Larissa and him had similar senses of humor. This was nice. Making someone laugh. Making a cute b—, Making a boy laugh. _This isn’t the time to analyze that_ , Richie thought. 

The boy wiped a tear from his eye, “It suits you. I’m— oh shit.”, he pulled out his phone and picked up the phone call. Turning away from Richie quickly, responding with a ton of “Yes ma'am.” He finally hung up the phone a moment later with a tight lipped smile and scratched the back of his head nervously.

“My mom is ready to check out so I better go before she has an aneurysm.”, The boy started walking away in the opposite of Richie.

Richie, not wanting this connection to be over yelled, “Wait! I never got your number, how will I see you again?!”

The boy began walking backward to face Richie with a grin on his face, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you on Monday, Braxton newbie!”

Richie tilted his head to the side and kept opening his mouth without a word coming out, which never happened. What the fuck?

The boy caught his bewildered face and threw his head back laughing, “The ties dumbass! They are Braxton’s signature Red!”

Huh? I guess he’s right, Richie thought to himself before thinking better of it and yelling out “OH!”

The boy rolled his eyes playfully and turned back around to leave the store. 

_Well shit… I can’t wait to go to Braxton._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for anyone that reads this story! I do write for this fandom sometimes and I am currently still working on "So What if I'm a Billionaire?" which is an Adult Richie/Eddie fic but I couldn't get this idea out of my head so I had to write this down haha. Please let me know if you'd want me to continue this and how you feel about it so far. (:


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